Alaska Agriculture Day First Tuesday in May

Included in this packet are two low-cost activities you can do with students PK-12.

Carrot Seed Tape Activity

Seed Potato Planting

Activity

To hear more about Farm to School activities and lessons, sign up for the Farm to School listserv: http://list.state.ak.us/soalists/akfarmtoschool/jl.htm

Johanna Herron

Farm to School Program Coordinator Email: Johanna.Herron@alaska.gov

Phone: 907.761.3870

2

Objective: The objective of this activity is to teach how to make carrot seed tape for summer planting.

*A fun variation with this activity is to alternate the carrot seeds with radish seeds because they

grow fast and break the soil for the carrots to break through. Ask the kids to hypothesize about

why you would alternate with radish seeds!

Materials: (Estimated cost of materials per station is $10.00)

Spray bottle (water)

Paper bags for storage

Toilet paper (double ply)

Instruction label

Carrot seeds

Scotch tape or marker to write name on bag

Ruler

Marker to roll seed tape around

Carrot Seed Tape Activity

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

3

Lesson Topics: PK - 12

Depending on the age group the lesson can draw on a number of different topics:

Counting and measurement – this can be as basic as 1-2-3 or as complex as the

economics of utilizing seed tape. Simple activities can be about counting the number of

seeds or a little more challenging and measuring the spacing of the seeds. For more

complex economic activities there are a number of topics; seed tape saves money by

making your own – premade seed tape is expensive, seed tape uses ALL seeds which

increases the yield per seed ratio, and seed tape decreases crop maintenance (labor

dollars) due to no need for ‘thinning’ of carrots.

Science or health – you can discuss any number of things; nutrient balance in soil, carrot

nutrition, carrot recipes, seed germination, plant growth, or plant life cycles.

Critical thinking – this can be as simple as ‘how does a carrot grow/what kind of

vegetable is a carrot” and as complex as understanding the proper time to plant the

seed tape and predicting how the seed tape impacts the soil compared to traditional

ways of planting carrots (a bunch of seeds and then thinning). *A neat variation on this

activity is to alternate the carrot seeds with radish seeds because they grow fast and

break the soil for the carrots to break through. Ask the kids to hypothesize about why

you would alternate with radish seeds!

Art and reading – Have the kids draw or journal about the growth cycle over the

summer!

4

Procedure:

Station set up

Each station should have 1-4 students with a spray bottle, a ruler for each student, and a small pile of seeds. Draw an example of the final product on the board for them to follow the steps

with. Start with a class discussion; for any age group you can talk about the activity, make predictions, and why carrots are good for you.

1. Tear off 2-4 squares of toilet paper for each student.

2. Gently spray the toilet paper and line up the ruler along the toilet paper bottom or top.

3. Place a carrot seed along the middle of the toilet paper. Be sure to space the seeds

based on the seed packet's recommendation. Tip: Alternate carrot seeds with radish

seeds because when the radishes sprout, they help to mark the row and break the

ground.

4. Take each top edge and fold down 1/3 followed by a gentle tap to secure.

5. Take each bottom edge and fold up 1/3 followed by a gentle tap to secure.

5

6. If needed, spray again to secure the seed tape and place somewhere to dry.

7. Have each student write their name on the masking tape or paper bag and put aside.

(Planting instructional label should be pre-printed or written and already placed on paper

bag – see example wording below)

Make sure seed tapes dry so the seeds don't germinate! When planting weather comes:

-make shallow furrows in soil, around ¼ inch (ground is preferable, potters can be used if they are deep and fit the strip of seed tape)

-lay the strips down -cover with soil and gently pat down

8. After the seed tape is reasonably dry, the student should roll it around a marker or pen to make a circle and then put in bag to store until planting.

Water

Cover

Plant

Seed Potato Planting Activity

Seed potatoes are available in greenhouses and stores, for a list of certified seed potato growers and varieties

see the last two pages in this packet.

Locating Seed Potatoes:

6

Objective: The objective of this activity is to teach how to plant and grow potatoes using certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes are critical to use instead of potatoes purchased for eating, from the grocery store, to prevent the spread of potato diseases such as Late Blight, a highly contagious potato disease. Additionally, most potatoes found in the store (with the exception of seed potatoes) are treated with a sprout inhibitor making it difficult to grow. *This activity is an opportunity to talk about: • why it is important to use certified seed potatoes for growing, • what healthy potato choices are, • how to plant, grow, and harvest a potato

Materials: (Estimated cost of materials per 5 students is $3.00) • Biodegradable plant pots (can use strawberry crates or any potting resource) • Alaska certified seed potatoes • Planting soil • Masking tape & Marker for labeling Optional materials: • Knife (if cutting the seed potatoes in half) • Potato product models to talk about nutrition

Lesson Topics: PK-12 Depending on the age group the lesson can draw on a number of different topics: • Counting and measurement - this can be as basic as 1-2-3 or as complex as the economics of utilizing seed potatoes. Simple activities can be about counting the number of eyes on the potato. For more complex economic activities there are a number of options; 1) look at the economics of growing your own food, include labor and materials 2) experiment with yield, spacing, and potato variety • Nutrition and health – you can discuss any number of things; nutrient balance in soil, the ‘size of a seed’, compare and contrast seeds and vegetables, potato nutrition, potato recipes, seed germination, plant growth, or plant life cycles. • Agricultural science –discuss why we must use a certified seed potato and not just a potato you can buy at the grocery store. Can be as simple as product control or as complex as specific diseases within potatoes i.e. late blight, etc. • Critical thinking – this can be as simple as ‘how does a potato grow/what kind of vegetable is a potato’ and as complex as figuring out the proper time to plant in different parts of the state or predicting how the seed impacts the soil. • Art and reading – Have the kids draw or journal about the growth cycle over the summer!

7

Procedure

Discussion Start with a class discussion about why you should use certified seed potato instead of table stock. The key point is to prevent spreading potato diseases that can be introduced from imported potatoes. Late Blight is a potato disease that is highly contagious. Additionally, most potatoes found in the store (with the exception of seed potatoes) are treated with a sprout inhibitor making it difficult to grow. You can look up more information about this at:

http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/akpmc/potato-program/index.htm You can show students pictures of the impact of Late Blight disease using three scales:

1) on the potato, 2) on the leaf of the plant, and 3) on the crop.

Activity Station set up: Each station should have 1-4 students each with a planting pot, certified seed potatoes, and soil. *If you choose to use a knife and cut the potatoes then have an adult at each station or move around from station to station to ‘count the eyes’ and cut accordingly. Draw an example of the final product on the board for them to follow the steps with. 1. Count and be sure each student has a piece of seed potato with 2-3 eyes. 2. Fill the pot ½ way with soil. 3. Place the whole, or piece of, seed potato into the pot so it’s resting on top of the soil. 4. Cover the seed with soil until the pot is almost full. 5. Have each student write their name on a piece of masking tape to put on their pot along with the product they planted and the date. Seed potatoes look like any other potato, making sure they are certified is the key! Certified seed will have an official seed tag attached to the store display or the package.

8

Discussion End with a discussion about healthy potato choices. There are many places to go for nutrition information about potatoes, one is: http://www.potatogoodness.com/nutrition/ Show pictures of the different ways in which we eat potatoes and compare how the calories change with each potato product. Make sure you are comparing equal amounts and talk about how much that portion might be. Discuss how adding things to a potato product can increase the calories (i.e. a baked potato).

9

2015 Alaska Certified Seed Potato Growers (2014 Crop Year) Mat-Su/ Anchorage Area:

Little Susitna Farm 8470 Russet Rd, Palmer, AK 99645

907-746-5496 trout@mtaonline.net

Dearborn Farm 980 S. Trunk Rd, Palmer, AK 99645

907-745-3501 Dearborn@mtaonline.net

Greg Kalal 8621 Witherspoon Cir, Anchorage, AK 99504

907-339-1966 gkalal@gci.net

Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm

PO Box 966, Palmer, 99645 907-745-4511 pppfarm@hotmail.com

VanderWeele Farms, LLC

PO Box 461, Palmer, AK, 99645

907-745-3597 vdweele@mtaonline.net

Jeff Smeenk 506 E. Fireweed, Palmer, 99645

907-746-2773 Jeff.smeenk@gmail.com

Fairbanks/ Nenana/ Clear/ Delta Junction Area: Ebbesson Farms PO Box 370, Nenana, AK,

99760 907-479-0440 soebbesson@alaska.edu

Pingo Farm 999 Maura St, Fairbanks, AK, 99709

907-479-7977

Frank Borman HC 60 Box 4199-1, Delta Junction, AK, 99737

907-895-4148 bormanf@yahoo.com

Smith’s Micro Farm

200 A St Stop 464, Clear, AK, 99704

907-582-1012 Smiths_micro_farm@ hotmail.com

Kodiak Area: Faith Farms PO Box 625, Kodiak, AK,

99615 907-486-3099

Soldotna / Homer area: Oceanside Farms 811 Ocean Drive Loop,

Homer, AK, 99603 907-235-7873 surfshack@acsalaska.net

Haines Area: George Campbell PO Box 458, Haines, AK,

99821 907-723-0435

2015 Alaska Certified Seed Potato Varieties* (Field crop 2014)

*Please contact individual grower for their variety list and availability

A Chieftain Jemseg Ramblin Rose Aggeblum Classic Jogeva Estonian Ratte AK Red Crème de Mountain K Red Beauty AK Sweetheart Cupid Katadhin Red Gold AK Russet D Keith Moore Red Red Pontiac Alasclear Daisy Gold Kennebec Ritchers Jubel Alaska Frostless Daku Kerrs Pink Robinta Alaska Redeye Delta Reds (22-1 exp) Kueka Gold Rosa Alaska 114 Denali Kilfi Rose Finn Apple Allagash Desiree King Edward Rose Gold All Blue E Krantz Royal Kidney All Red Eerstling L Russet Norkotah Atlantic Epicure Lemhi Russet Russian Banana B Eramosa M S BakeKing F Magic Molly Sangre Sel 11 Beauty of Hebron Favorite Red Magic Myrna (8-3 exp) Saginaw Gold Belle De Fontenay Fiesta (29-6 exp) Maine Stay Shepody Bintje French Fingerling Mark Warshaw Slovenian Crescent Blue Shetland Frontier Russet Mrs Moehlers Yellow Snowchip Bushes Peanut G N Spunta C German Butterball Nicola Superior Caines Irish Rocks Goldrush Nipigon U Cal White Granola Norland, “Dark Red” Urgenta Cal Rus H NorDonna W Caribe Haida O White Rose BC Cascade Hilat Russet Okeefe Superior White Rural New

Yorker Castile Hilite Russet P Y Catriona Huckleberry Peanut Yam Century Russet I Pike Yellow Finn Chaleur Iditared Pimpernel Yukon Gold Cherry Red J Purple Viking R

Stay up to date about resources, events, and funding opportunities by signing

up for the Alaska Farm to School Listserv:

http://list.state.ak.us/soalists/akfarmtoschool/jl.htm

Alaska Agriculture Idea Sheet Here are some quick and easy ideas to celebrate and educate on Alaska Ag Day: Elementary Classes

1. Read a book that depicts American agriculture. Avoid books that have stereotypes about farming. If you chose a book about farming in the past centuries, be sure to explain how farmers use technology today.

2. Using pieces of rope 4 to 10 feet long, have students, in groups, make letters of the alphabet by holding the rope above the ground, working together to form the letter shapes. Ropes are important tools for ranches.

Elementary and Middle School Classes 1. Discuss agriculture in your area --Are there farms around your community? What is grown there?

--If there are no farms around your community, why not? --Are there gardens? Do your students have gardens? --Do students gather berries, go hunting, or participate at fish camp with their families?

2. Talk about what grows in Alaska a. Quiz students about what is raised in Alaska and what isn’t. Discuss why some foods

cannot be grown here. 3. What’s on the school’s menu for Alaska Ag Day? Have students figure out where the ingredients for

those foods may have been grown. Middle and High School Classes

1. Math — Use acres of crops in math problems — there are 43,560 square feet in an acre. 2. Science — Agriculture has connections to many of the sciences. Tie the unit you are teaching to one

of the many ag-related sciences. 3. Art — Try painting with dirt. For instructions, see Alaska’s Awesome Soils, Page 10, which can be

downloaded at http://www.alaskaswcds.org/-Edprograms.html. Some of the world’s most famous pieces of art are agrarian in subject. Discuss some of the works, and their inspiration.

4. Social studies — Agriculture is directly tied to the movement of populations throughout history. Geography and agriculture are integrally related. On a state, national or world level, look at social studies with agriculture as a theme.

5. Technology — New technology has drastically changed the face of agriculture: from remote sensing to GPS locating to robotic farm equipment. Discuss what may be next.

6. Literature — From Little House on the Prairie to Grapes of Wrath to modern books, authors have portrayed the gritty reality of farming. Poems like those by Robert Frost are also great introductions to discussions of literary realism regarding agriculture.

7. Languages — What are the names of crops and livestock in the language(s) your students are studying? Do ESL students understand words that apply to agriculture and food production?

8. Economics — Farmers operate on a small profit margin in a high-risk business. How much does a farmer get for a bushel of corn compared to the cost for a box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes?

9. Government — Many of America’s founding fathers were farmers. How may have these agrarian roots have influenced their stand on issues?

10. Life Sciences — Fit Alaska’s food production into http://www.myplatematerials.com/. Look at a Big Mac meal: how does it stack up for nutrition; where do the foods in it come from; how much does it cost and how much goes back to the farmer; how does it compare to serving size recommendations; what if you super-size it?

11. Career Exploration — Agriculture is a fast-changing science with many careers available to students in a wide variety of specialties. Students can research options.